Relegation: hard-fought football with a better ending for RWE

Third division Essen won the relegation first leg against second division third-to-last SpVgg Greuther Fürth in front of 18,117 spectators in the atmospheric stadium on Hafenstrasse with 1-0 (0-0). The second leg takes place on Tuesday evening in Fürth (8.30 p.m.). Then it will be decided whether both clubs will remain in their leagues – or whether Essen will be allowed to go back to the second league for the first time in 19 years and whether Fürth will have to go back to the third league for the first time in 29 years. An Essen success would have drastic consequences in the western Ruhr area on the one hand and in central Franconia on the other – very contrary ones.

The upbeat song “Oh, RWE” was re-sung by Swedish pop singer Siw Malmkvist especially for Rot-Weiss Essen in 1999, after the RWE fans had given their 70s hit “Adiole” a football-like re-text and had performed it for years. Whenever RWE scores a goal, this song plays in the Essen stadium. That happened once on Friday evening.

From the start, it was a game that people love in the Ruhr area: tough football with a certain tolerance for technical and tactical deficiencies. The focus of a goalless first half: the personal feud between Fürth’s center forward Noel Futkeu and Essen’s defense chief Ben Hüning. A duel full of mutual checks and dying swan deposits. Referee Daniel Schlager wisely practiced pedagogical laissez-faire, otherwise both would have left the field early.

Hüning shot the Essen team into relegation last weekend with the injury-time winning goal in Ulm. Futkeu was the top scorer in the last second division season with 19 goals. The 23-year-old was born in Essen and played for RWE in the youth and fourth division. Next season he will move to Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt.

Fürth only hits the crossbar, followed later by Torben Müsel’s perfect free kick

The Fürth team dominated the game, also because the Essen team let them come over long distances. The Franconians had just saved themselves into third-to-last place on the last second division matchday and were given another chance to stay in the league against Essen. In the 16th minute, Fürth’s full-back Jannik Dehm only hit the crossbar of the Essen goal. The guests had the better chances to score for almost an hour. RWE goalkeeper Jakob Golz, son of former goalkeeper Richard Golz, was able to make a name for himself.

In the 58th minute, Torben Müsel had a great chance to take Essen’s lead. He shot at the empty goal from 20 meters after a bad pass from Fürth goalkeeper Silas Prurock, but Prudrock just caught the ball with his fingertips. That was the signal for Essen’s turnaround. Now the hosts smelled morning air. And really: In the 62nd minute, Müsel shot a free kick from a half-left position from 20 meters with surgical precision into the top right corner to make it 1-0. Testrock (1.80 meters) couldn’t even reach it with his fingertips.

Essen took the lead over time and even had a chance to score the second goal. It will be challenging for Fürth in the second leg on Tuesday. Relegation between the second and third leagues has been played 17 times since 2009. The third division team prevailed twelve times and the second division team only won five times.